The present invention is of the type as disclosed in copending application Ser. No. 467,134 filed Feb. 16, 1983.
The present invention relates to a hearing aid that is of the type that includes a miniaturized ear plug for use therewith that has a shape and configuration that provides for the insertion thereof wholly within the auditory canal of the ear of the user, so that the concha portion of the user's ear is unobstructed and acts as a focal point for collecting sound and directing it into a microphone of the hearing aid as located in the ear plug thereof.
Hearing aid devices of the type that include a molded ear plug in which a microphone is located have been utilized heretofore as illustrated in applicant's prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,291,203. In applicant's prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,291,203, the microphone is innerconnected to an amplifier located in a housing mounted in close proximity to the user's ear. A transducer-receiver as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,291,203 is located in the housing in electrical communication with the amplifier and transmits the amplified sound to a sound tube that is secured in the ear plug and that also communicates with the auditory canal of the user's ear. Thus, in the prior known device, electrical means are utilized to receive sound waves for transfer to the amplifier, the amplified sound thereafter being conventionally transmitted to a conventional receiver and sound tube for introduction into the auditory canal of the user. Although the prior known hearing aid device as illustrated in applicant's prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,291,203 was satisfactory for the purpose intended, it did require the use of external wiring and a sound tube that was interconnected to the behind-the-ear housing in which the controls for the hearing aid were located. Such externally visible components and wiring were not only unslightly and in some instances embarrassing to the user, but because of handling, the controls and wiring for the hearing aid sometimes became mechanically inoperative, and on occasion the quality of sound was not always satisfactory. The present invention avoids the use of the externally located components such as have been utilized heretofore in the behind-the-ear housings, and further avoids the use of extended electrical wiring or sound tubes. One of the unique features of the invention is in the use of a cover member that is pivotally mounted on the ear plug and essentially conceals the hearing aid battery and controls to define an unobstructed outer surface that is aesthetically ornamental and pleasing to the eye. As will be described hereinafter, the improvement herein further relates to a barrier that is inserted into the earplug to insulate the sound tube from the microphone to provide for better fidelity of sound as transmitted to the auditory canal of the user.